By Laura K. Cowan
About seven years ago, I fainted when sick and hit my head. I sustained a concussion, but it was on the severe end of what is considered a concussion, right before you get to a moderate traumatic brain injury. I was sent to neurology and then neuropsych for a support group to teach me how to cope with the effects of the injury and how slowly the healing happens. Unfortunately, I was let go from the group after six months. I was told there was no evidence that this level of brain injury should continue after six months as it didn’t show in imaging—therefore I was healed, and any remaining symptoms had to be a post-concussion syndrome (where your brain imprints the symptoms of an injury and perpetuates them even though the injury is healed). As we group members were all too brain damaged to filter our emotions, the leader of the group got an earful about the limits of the research and the support we needed that we weren’t getting. It was quite the dumped off by the curb experience, where one day you are told you have resources, and the next you are told you are clearly imagining things.
This diagnosis turned out to be dangerously incorrect, as several years later I was diagnosed with a connective tissue disorder called Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome that is known to cause slow healing, among many other problems with soft tissues. I simply hadn’t healed. I called the neurologist back and he told me that if he had known I had EDS, he would have sent me to their EDS specialist for brain injuries, but in the meantime, I had been left to rehab my continuing brain damage myself.
These days, I have learned some humility about people’s limitations on short-term memory, as before the accident I was quite demanding that other people have the same excellent recall I did, and I was probably a pain in the butt. Even today, I misspell words for no reason, forget things at random with no later recall, and have enduring amnesia about life events for months around the brain injury, just like you see in movies. Reader, I even saw stars like a Warner Brothers cartoon and lost my ability to speak. Zero out of five stars—do not recommend.
I know a lot of people who have had repeat brain injuries, because it’s easier to hurt your brain once it has suffered initial trauma. Whether it’s from sports, car accidents, falls, or other trauma, lots of people are walking around a bit dazed and confused like I was. When I was invited to interview Lora Rosenbaum, CEO of Ann Arbor’s TheraSupport, who help people with extra therapy and support while they heal neurological conditions of all kinds, I knew this was something special to bring to you in case you or a loved one might also benefit. There really should be more resources for people with neurological conditions, especially beyond the basic healthcare.
Neurological conditions are any disorder of the nervous system and can range from degenerative nervous system conditions to injuries to the brain and many more including conditions that cause seizures, pain, and altered levels of consciousness. The effects of a neurological condition can devastate someone’s life, career, and even relationships. I learned during my stint as an addled post-concussive individual that the doctors weren’t more worried about me because if I had a really severe brain injury, I wouldn’t have retained the capacity to be so anxious about it.
People with severe neurological trauma can struggle with changing personalities, or, like me, lose their emotional filter and embarrass themselves by yelling at people. Nurses are quite patient with this—apparently your use of swear words is the last thing to go, along with the fight or flight system, and it means your brain is still working on a basic level. However, it is not fun to live through, and it is even more serious if you experience personality changes that indicate you have lost your capacity to worry or understand your predicament. I hope that this interview gives someone out there a lead to follow to help themselves or a family member as they pursue healing from a neurological condition or support through the tough days when nothing is helping. Blessings.
Laura Cowan: Tell me about the services offered at TheraSupport and what it is like to work with you.
Lora Rosenbaum: TheraSupport is an Ann Arbor-based family business. It was founded by Dr. Thomas S. Rosenbaum PhD (my father), a clinical psychologist, over 20 years ago. I’ve had various roles over the years, then began the position of CEO four years ago.
Laura Cowan: What kind of services do you offer?
Lora Rosenbaum: My passion is in the community we serve and the clinical services we provide. We offer occupational therapy, speech therapy, counseling and psychotherapy, testing and evaluations. In addition, we established a TheraYoga program and offer nature-based therapies.
Laura Cowan: That sounds really unique and helpful. How did you get into teaching, beyond working with your father?
Lora Rosenbaum: I’ve had the opportunity to learn about and teach yoga for over 23 years. I participated in a study with the University of Michigan on the benefits of yoga, spinal cord injury, and aging. We have brought the findings of that study into our current yoga program.
LC: As someone who has dealt with spinal cord and brain issues, that sounds amazing. What kinds of people would this help the most?
LR: We specialize in people who have traumatic brain injury, stroke survivors, concussions, neurological disorders, speech disorders, and gender affirming speech therapy. We also help with trauma, PTSD, grief, the aging brain, depression, behavioral issues, family conflict, life skills, and occupational in-home assessments for modifications/adaptations.
LC: Tell me about how you support people with traumatic brain injury.
LR: In addition to our outpatient services listed above, we have a Supported Independent Living program for people with traumatic brain injury. In this program we offer the services listed previously, plus residential apartment living support, care coordination, community integration, and direct care staffing for participants within this specific program.
LC: That is really comprehensive. As someone who has been through a severe concussion, I can appreciate how many areas of support are needed. Tell me more about the yoga classes.
LR: The classes I have the opportunity to teach are the Inclusive Yoga classes. They are one on one or small class settings. Our clinical team provides the assessment and oversight. The yoga class is led in our activities room that is filled with natural light and surrounded by nature. I’m able to implement the years of experience I’ve had with the research we conducted to provide a safe and meaningful yoga experience for those interested.
LC: This all sounds so helpful to people who might otherwise struggle to find the right support. Could you tell our readers where to find more information or how to speak with someone at TheraSupport to see if your services are a fit for them?
LR: Our website is TheraSupport.com. Consider visiting us on Instagram and Facebook @therasupport. TheraSupport is offering Grief Yoga classes that begin again this fall. Classes are led by a fully licensed therapist using sound and movement to aid in healing from grief and trauma. Feel free to contact lrosenbaum@therasupport.com if you have any questions or are interested in any of our services.
LC: What about insurance coverage?
LR: We take most insurance and have private pay options, too. We have an experienced and dedicated team at TheraSupport. Our commitment is to provide “full-mind wellness” to our community.
To connect with Lora Rosenbaum or TheraSupport, call (734) 677-0200 or visit therasupport.com. Laura K. Cowan is a climate tech and wellness journalist, a former meditation and reiki coach and practitioner, and co-founder of Ann Arbor-based content marketing agency and media outlet Cronicle Press at www.cronicle.press.
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About seven years ago, I fainted when sick and hit my head. I sustained a concussion, but it was on the severe end of what is considered a concussion, right before you get to a moderate traumatic brain injury. I was sent to neurology and then neuropsych for a support group to teach me how to cope with the effects of the injury and how slowly the healing happens. Unfortunately, I was let go from the group after six months.